You don’t have to be a gifted academic to recognise the growth in the private tutoring industry – the figures are clear as daylight.
Studies show that private tutoring in many countries around the world, including Australia is on the rise – with estimates from Global Industry Analysts Inc predicting that the market will reach US$ 102.8b by the year 2018. The growth is huge, but does this mean that schools are encouraging their pupils to have private tutoring or is it just a direction that society is moving in?.
Well, according to Academic Task Force, one of the leaders in private tutoring in Perth, most schools welcome the intervention of professional tutors because they have the student’s best interests at heart.
There are many reasons why students supplement traditional teaching with a private tutor – it could be that they have a problem in a particular course and need specialised attention (eg a maths tutor or science tutor), it could be that they are preparing for exams and need help with wace revision or study skills, it could be that they are already high achievers who want to gain an extra edge for a scholarship or an A+ grade, or it could be that the student is having self-confidence issues in class and would benefit from one-on-one tuition.
It’s always best when schools and tutors work together – and in fact, many schools will make recommendations to students for tutors who they know are experienced and capable.
Most schools discourage their staff from providing private tuition to their own students, but will happily recommend teachers from neighbouring schools on that list that provide specialist help eg maths tutor, science tutor, wace tutor. Other tutoring sources include retired teachers, university or college students and professional tutoring companies. Students can also look for tutors using online searches (eg “science tutor Perth”), advertisements in the paper, on Gumtree and by asking other parents for recommendations.
At the end of the day, the schools and the parents should all work together to help the student reach their potential.